In the September 2017 opening broadcast of the year's Building Advisor Competency series, presenters discussed Facing Fear and Creating Our Best Professional Selves. In this 60-minute, videocast presentation, sponsored by the NACADA Advisor Training and Development Commission, commission members build on that foundation and address concepts surrounding the development paths of academic advisors and the advancement of academic advising as a profession. Presenters Theresa Hitchcock (Advisor Training & Development Commission Chair, University of Louisville), Rebecca Hapes (Advisor Training & Development Commission Past Chair, Texas A&M University), and Matthew Howe (Hudson Valley Community College) discuss what it means to be "a professional" in the academic advising field, including the characteristics and behaviors of an advising professional, and how progressive training and development of advisors (new, mid-level, advanced) and the scholarship of advising (i.e., service, presenting, teaching, publishing, research) contribute to this understanding.They provide suggestions for how advisors can assess their current professional path and create a development path based on the recently developed NACADA Academic Advising Core Competencies Model. Existing NACADA resources designed to facilitate and improve training, development, and scholarship of academic advisors are discussed. Academic advisors of all experience levels will benefit from this engaging discussion.

About NACADA

NACADA promotes and supports quality academic advising in institutions of higher education to enhance the educational development of students. NACADA provides a forum for discussion, debate, and the exchange of ideas pertaining to academic advising through numerous activities and publications. NACADA also serves as an advocate for effective academic advising by providing a Consulting and Speaker Service and funding for Research related to academic advising.